When you think of a life that is blessed, what images come to your mind first? Is it a house with a big front porch and a white picket fence, plus a car that runs and gets good gas mileage and a 401(k) the size of Texas? Maybe it’s having all your hair and teeth (for some of us that would be a blessing), your health and plenty of free time to do all the things you love to do.
I could go on and on but I think you get my drift. When most people think about the blessed life, we tend to think about ourselves. Our thinking tends to be in exact opposite of how God thinks so I began to really pray and ask God to help me understand just what it meant to be blessed.
The best way to start was to go back to the beginning. There is a story in the first book of the Old Testament that I believed would help me understand being blessed. We pick the story up in Genesis chapter 12 and verse one (New King James Version). It says: Now the Lord has said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”
Abram was to be God’s tool to bless the world, but He had to leave the comforts of home to be a part of it. Abram had to lose to gain. Interesting!
In verse two, the writer uses the word bless a couple times. I love doing word studies, so I went to my favorite Web site and looked up what the original word for bless was. The original Hebrew word is barak and it means to kneel. To kneel in an honoring way, the way a servant kneels to a king. So as I began to realize that God blessed Abram so He could kneel or honor others, I realized God’s blessings toward us are not about us but about others.
But what really blew me away was when I realized that it says that the Lord blessed Abram. There it was, plain as day. “The Lord BLESSED Abram.” Remember the word bless in its original meaning means to kneel. That means that the Lord kneeled to Abram. At first I thought “No way!” God did not kneel to his creation, He wouldn’t do that. It just didn’t make sense, but then I remembered that in the New Testament Jesus knelt to wash His disciple’s feet. And Jesus was God.
I know, I know, you probably think I have lost my mind. But hang with me for a few more sentences.
Jesus was so secure in His power and authority to kneel before His disciples to show them how much He cared for them and how they were supposed to act. Why couldn’t God have done it for Abram? Think about it this way: When a dad or mom kneels before their child to help them tie their shoes or mend a wound, do we give up our authority to them? Have we made them higher than us or are we honoring them by caring for them and showing them how much we love them? God loved Abram so much that He wanted to use him to bless the nations.
Like I said, it didn’t make sense at first, but when I thought about all of this and let this sink into my heart, it overwhelmed me. Knowing that God loved us so much to kneel to His creation, WOW! It has made me more passionate about serving Him than ever before.
What do you say we bless God and others from all that He has blessed us with? Here are a couple ideas for you: Invite someone over for dinner to that beautiful house of yours and share your faith with them, or use some of the free time He has given you to volunteer somewhere, like helping in a Sunday school class or watching kids while parents do a Bible study. There is not enough room to list them all so get a pen out and go for it.
Thanks for reading and have a blessed weekend!
Phillip D. Beck is pastor of Central Community Church, Pymatuning Township.
Religion
Just what does it mean to be blessed by God? What do we do in response?
From the Pulpit
- Religion
-
-
We are part way there, but don’t allow destination to eclipse journey
Today is Day 42 if you are counting. It is 42 days since we left Egypt. We have seven more days to go. Seven more days until we will camp at the foot of Mount Sinai and prepare ourselves to receive the Ten Commandments on the 50th day.
-
Churches eyeing exit
A total of 17 churches in the Shenango Presbytery have withdrawn from the Presbyterian Church (USA) or are considering doing so, all over ongoing issues including the denomination’s decision to ordain gay and lesbian pastors. Two have already voted to leave.
-
St. Paul’s UCC to mark 150 years
St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 159 Todd Ave., will celebrate its 150th year of ministry on May 20 with a special worship service and banquet.
-
Prayer is power, but is it your steering wheel or spare tire?
Dutch Christian and Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom once asked this searching question: Is God your steering wheel or your spare tire? We might well substitute “prayer” for “God” in the inquiry.
-
Apostle Paul would not be considered a success today
You know, I think we have what it means to be a success a little confused. I think we equate it to one of those models on the front of a glamor magazine – just the right weight, no blemishes anywhere, a smile whiter than snow.
-
Cross walk covers 2 cities
A group of local men are going a long way to be involved in the 3rd Annual Men’s Rally in the Valley on May 5 at the Covelli Centre in Youngstown.
-
For 50 days ... for eternity: Why don’t we pick up when God calls?
Most Christians attended church Easter Sunday. It’s what we do. We celebrate that exquisite moment in salvation history when Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, rose from the dead, conquering sin, evil and death itself. Glory to God!
We also welcome visitors and others who rarely attend other than Christmas and Easter. And we wonder, what happens the rest of the year?
-
In words and pictures
A minister and his son combined words and pictures to create 26 portraits of Christ, and now those portraits are available in their new book.
“Portraits of the Christ” is the first collaborative printed project for Rev. Sperry Hogue, the semi-retired associate minister of Hermitage Church of Christ, and his son Nathan Hogue, a mental health therapist at George Junior Republic in Grove City. -
Whole lotta shaking goin’ on: Based on Bible, God’s at work
Does trouble lie ahead for us? I would suggest some possible happenings. You be the judge.
-
St. Patrick must have wondered what lesson God was teaching
Have you ever wondered what God is up to in your life? Maybe you have felt frustrated that things weren’t going the way you would want. Or you wonder if God is hearing your prayers or even notices your problems. At times like these we can learn a thing or two from St. Patrick.
- More Religion Headlines
-
We are part way there, but don’t allow destination to eclipse journey
